Contents

First Quest

Level 3: The Manji

Manhandla first appears in Level 3: The Manji as the boss of this dungeon. This boss will use two methods of attack; it will first try to shoot fireballs at Link that will cause a whole heart of damage. Its second attack is to ram into Link, which also causes a heart of damage. Link can defeat Manhandla in two ways. First, Link can use his Bombs to destroy the claws that are attached to the body, instantly defeating Manhandla. Alternatively, Link can attack the claws with his Sword, but this can get quite difficult, as Link will have to come very close to Manhandla, causing a rise in the chance of Manhandla making contact with Link. Defeating Manhandla rewards Link with the third Triforce Shard.

Level 4: The Snake

Manhandla makes its second appearance as the mini-boss of Level 4: The Snake. This Manhandla is exactly the same as the one Link fought in Level 3. Attack its four claws and Manhandla will be defeated. Interestingly, defeating Manhandla is actually not required to complete the dungeon. This is because by defeating Manhandla, the locked door at the top of the room will open, allowing Link to continue. However, Link can avoid that room by bombing the wall to the right, creating a shortcut.

Level 8: The Lion

Manhandla makes its third and final appearance as the mini-boss of Level 8: The Lion. Link will fight Manhandla not once, not twice, but three times in this dungeon. Similarly to the last appearance of Manhandla, two of these three battles may be skipped, as they are only guarding the Book of Magic and the Magical Key.

Second Quest

Level 2

Manhandla makes its first appearance in the Second Quest as the mini-boss of the second level. Though this room must be passed in order to access the Recorder, the door to the next room is open, and Link can rush through without fighting the mini-boss if he wishes.

Level 5

Manhandla reappears in the fifth dungeon, blocking the path toward the dungeon boss and its Triforce Shard. Since the door to the next room will not open until Manhandla is defeated, Link must destroy the mini-boss this time.

Level 6

In Level 6 of the Second Quest, Manhandla appears in the room immediately before the dungeon boss, trying to weaken or defeat Link before he can take the real boss on. However, the door is once again unlocked, so Link does not have to fight Manhandla in this level if he chooses not to.

Level 7

Manhandla makes two final appearances in the seventh dungeon of the Second Quest. Its first appearance is a few screens east of the entrance, forcing Link to destroy it in order to proceed deeper into the dungeon. It can also be found near the end of the dungeon, north of an Old Man who forces Link to give up Rupees or a Heart Container.[1] The door locks behind Link and will not open until he has defeated the Manhandla, but he can skip this fight by simply never entering the room since it is a dead end.

Trivia

Manhandla appears a total of five times in each quest, more than any other boss in the game (With the exception of Dodongo, who becomes a normal enemy after Level 2).

According to the Japanese instruction booklet, Manhandla is a giant Piranha Plant.[2]